Jordan reiterates support to Lebanon in face of Israeli attacks

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordan on Tuesday reiterated support to Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli attacks, affirming that it would provide all possible aid to Lebanon as a ground assault seems imminent.

According to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi spoke over the phone with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, during which they discussed Israel’s onslaught on Lebanon.

The statement quoted Safadi as affirming Jordan's full support to Lebanon, including its stability and sovereignty.

Safadi told Mikati about Jordan King Abdullah’s directives to provide all possible aid to Lebanon to help with victims of Israel’s war.

In September, Jordan sent two aid cargo planes to Lebanon to help meet the humanitarian needs resulting from the war.

The top Jordanian diplomat stressed the need for the international community to immediately act to reach a cease-fire and implement UN Resolution 1701.

Passed in 2006, the resolution calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line (the de facto boundary between Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River, allowing only the Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to possess weapons and military equipment in the area.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar